Dutch Language and Culture

The basics of Dutch language and culture include:

• Basic conversations with Dutch people about yourself (country, studies, age), what you like, your family, how you feel and look, and the weather.
• Basic needs, like buying groceries, ordering food, travelling, and asking for directions.
• Functional grammatical aspects of Dutch, like counting and telling time, conjugating verbs, tenses, personal pronouns, articles and word gender, word order in a sentence (syntax), and more. 

Besides the language, students will also get insight into several aspects of Dutch culture, for instance: eating customs, stereotypes, religion, national holidays, the Dutch school system, the royal family and the government, sociolinguïstic aspects of the Frisian language, and a short historical overview of the development of the Netherlands. The latter will be supported by an excursion to the city centre of Leeuwarden.

• Semester or period: fall and spring semester
• Level: third year
• Study methods: lectures, classroom activities, exercises, writings, excursion.
• Literature/readers: material on Blackboard, (eventually a reader will be provided)
• Grading policy: 1-10
• Prerequisites: None
• ECTS: 5
   

Description minor

Skills/study target
During the classes, the student will acquire basic competences and knowledge of Dutch in accordance with level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).

You will be able to understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. You can introduce yourself and others and you will be able to ask and answer questions about personal details, such as where you live, people you know, and things you have. You will know how to interact in a simple way, provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help (Council of Europe, 2001).

Testing

This course is concluded by means of a digital final exam (reading, writing, listening, and knowledge of the Netherlands) and a 'performance, like a  presentation, video, or a play (speaking).